Government officials plan to stop young people from smoking, since many young people persist in thinking it's "cool" to smoke. Forcing movie makers to rate movies "R" if any smoking appears, as well as posting anti-smoking warnings prior to a movie with smoking in it, will (these government officials reason) cause fewer young people to smoke. Anybody who actually believes this does not understand young people, especially those who smoke knowing full well that it's medically harmful. Young people will continue to understand that smoking is something adults don't want them to do and, therefore, it's cool and they will continue to do it. Refusing to allow smoking to appear in movies will not cause young people to stop smoking, any more than outlawing the presence of sex in movies would lead young people to stop having, or wanting, sex. This is just more evidence that most government restrictions and regulations neither work nor make sense even on their own terms.

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